It’s been ten years since the release of the first series of Serial, a true crime podcast about Adnan Syed, who was arrested and convicted of strangling Hae Min Lee to death in 1999. In many ways, the series was considered a turning point for the podcast genre, as a now tried-and-tested format of episodic storytelling that kept listeners coming back for more with its drip-feeding of the reconstructed narrative. Serial helped bring true crime podcasts into the mainstream, at the time becoming the fastest podcast to reach five million downloads on iTunes and receiving multiple awards.

The case has continued to enrapture listeners and to fuel the news cycle due to its tangible impact on real life. Syed was given a new trial based partly on evidence uncovered through the investigative series and after having spent more than 20 years in prison, was released in 2022. Then, in August of this year, Maryland's highest court upheld a decision to reinstate the murder conviction, meaning the case will now be sent to a lower court for a new hearing on whether or not it will finally be thrown out.

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